September 11, 2007 will go down in history as one of the biggest days in hip-hop history. On this historic date Kanye West will be releasing his new album, Graduation, on the same day as 50 Cent releases his new album, CURTIS. This is a battle of epic proportions. The album is Kanye’s third and follows up in the line after College Dropout and Late Registration. Will Kanye be able to top the success of his previous efforts on Graduation, or will his artistic vision become distorted?
The first single off Graduation is Can’t Tell Me Nothing which features co-production by DJ Toomp and additional vocal ad-libs by rapper and label-mate Young Jeezy. The song is a classic example of Kanye’s introspective lyrics looking at who he is and what makes him Kanye. The song also features Kanye’s now trademark crooning. Although he isn’t the best of singers, he actually sounds decent on the track. The ad-libs by Young Jeezy help to amp up the energy of the song, which in general sounds a bit flat.
The second track, Stronger, features a very recognizable sample from the song Harder, Better, Stronger, Faster by the techno group Daft Punk. The song is very different than anything that is commercially available in the market today. The song’s like a hip-hop, techno-fusion hit, which appeals to a wide market but not Kanye’s usual one. The song is catchy, although it is a bit offbeat, to say the very least.
The third track, Good Life, is produced by West along with DJ Toomp and Jon Brion. The song also features R&B; singer T-Pain. The song uses a sample of P.Y.T. by Michael Jackson. The song is catchy and is one of the more commercial songs on the album.
One of the catchiest songs on the album is Champion. The song contains a sample of Kid Charlemagne by Steely Dan. The song just has lasting appeal, and you will be humming it to yourself all day after one listen.
Big Brother is sure to be one of the most controversial songs on the album. The song is produced by Kanye West and is literally an ode to rap mogul Jay-Z. Kanye talks about Jay’s failed relationship with Roca-Fella founders Damon Dash and Kareem Biggs. The song talks about numerous conflicts the two had in the past and how that fueled Kanye to achieve rap stardom in his own right.
On Barry Bonds, Kanye is joined by rap superstar Lil Wayne. The song is really is not all that catchy. The verses by Wayne are not up to their level of ability, and the beat is pretty lifeless.
Flashing Lights finds Kanye joined by neo-soul crooner Dwele. The song is catchy and will definitely have you moving as you listen to it. Dwele might not be the most well-known neo-soul singer, but he has been featured prominently on Kanye West projects including Common’s Finding Forever.
On The Glory and Everything I Am, Kanye follows his standard hit-making method of sampling an old-school soul song speeding it up and building complete tracks around the samples.
Homecoming features Chris Martin of Coldplay fame. Chris Martin seems to be the new go to guy when it comes to hip-hop records as he has been featured on Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz’s most current efforts. The song is fairly catchy but just doesn’t click all the way.
Overall, Graduation is a good album. It is not in the league of Kanye’s previous two efforts, however, as Kanye has incredibly big shoes to fill in himself. Late Registration and College Dropout were instant classics, spawning numerous singles and records for everyone. As shocking as this sounds, maybe Common’s Finding Forever coming out merely months before Graduation helped to divert some of Kanye’s attention on his own project. It seems like the best beats from Finding Forever would have sounded perfect on Graduation. Overall, Graduation by Kanye West gets 8 out of 10 stars for a solid album. If you’re a Kanye fan, make sure you buy the album when it is in stores on September 11.
